Lighter construction



Dec. 23, 1941. V w au g zfi' 2,267,076

LIGHTER CONSTRUCTION Filed Aug. 21, 1940 @z Z4 11 uunm nmlm 311 3" INVENTIOR:

Waller J B ewe/let! %b ATTORNEYS Patented Dec. 23, 1941 UNITED "STATES P r ,oF-1= cE I I 2,2 67,(:i78i i a l iil iiErtjconsrnuo'rron "Tl.

Walter J. 'Burchett, East Orange,"-N. J., 'assignor to ArtMetal Works; Inc.,-.Newark;-"N. 1;, a

corporation of New Jersey Application' lugust 21, 1940, seat; so. 353.417

' .3 Claims. (01. 67-11) The invention relates to lighters of the 'pymphoric type and aims primarily to provide a lighter construction wherein exposedoperating parts are reduced to a minimum, and such parts nevertheless readily accessible for adjustment.

vious and in partspecifically referred toin the description hereinafter contained which; taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, discloses a preferred embodiment oft-he invention; such embodiment, however, should be conmember 8.. As shown, these ears are a part of I and extend upwardly. from a bracket member i2 which is oi' ='U-,shape cross section at its inter-- mediate portion; as shown in" Fig. 6. This bracket'memb'er 12 fits intoa notch I 8 (Fig. 6) in. the side wall of supporting member 8, seating .agai nsta ledge ll at the bottom. of such notch,- and is fixedly secured to member 8. 'As shown more particularly in Figs. 2 and 5, wings l2b may be provided, extending, out laterally from the body of bracket l2'to the adjacent. enclosing walls of supporting member 8, to brace theconstrucsidered only as illustrative from the standpoint of the invention in its broader aspects] In the drawingv Fig. 1 is a central vertical section showing de tached a lighter mechanism. constructed to. oper-.

on the line 5--5 of Fig. 2 and the line 6-8 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 7 is a side elevation showing the parts of Figs. 1 and 3 in assembled relation.

Referring more particularly to- Figs-pl and 3, the invention as illustrated is applied to a lighter mechanism combined with a pencil I having a stud 2 which screws into the bottom'of a cylintion and provide apartial' top wall for supportmg member a, 'men'top' wall however does not overlie the-part ofsupport 8 through which the .w ck tu p oi I Asp'arking wheel 15 is journaled on shaft 18 and as shown gear members i8 (Fig. 5) on oppo- "site sides'ofjthe snufier 9, serveto rotate the s'nufier"amisparltin'g wheel in;a manner which need not be, described'in detail since suitable mechanismsfforthis purpose are well known in the'art. flint tube H, having an adjusting screw ['8 at its lower end, is shown as positioning the flint l9 (Fig. 5-) underneath sparking wheel l5; this flint tube IT being shown as supported by ears 28 (Fig. 5) extending inwardly from supporting member 8. I

The side push operation above referred to is obtained by levers 2| pivoted at their lower ends about a shaft 22 mounted in downwardly extending ears Ha l2) the levers 2| thus being housed within the interior of supporting member 8, and

being provided at their upper ends with gear teeth 23 which engage with the gears l6 above drical barrel 3 which provides a fuel receptacle 4, access to which maybe had-by unscrewing stud 2,'for purposes ofsupplying; fuel crabsorbent material. A wick tube 5 projects upwardly through the top. wall 8 of chamber .4 and.

The invention is shown'as applied to a lighter mechanism having a snuffer member 9. pivoted about ag'spindle H! which is supported inears H extending upwardly from the top of supporting referred A finger-piece 24, however; is connected to? the levers 2i and projects outwardly between ears l'l' soas to be exposed at one side "of supporting member 8. I

Thus whenthe partsare assembled into the relation shown in Fig.7, bysllding thesupporting member 8. over extension 3a, the snufier'seat 'I normally comes into seating position with respect to snufi'er 9, the wick tube '5 projecting upwardly through the space inside of the hollow support 8, and the flint tube II projecting downwardly into the space within the extension in.

A notch 30 in extension 811 receives the bracket l2, and insures: that thewick tube 8 will be properly alined with snuifer 8 when the parts are assembled. I

In. operation the user grcsps the barrel 8 within his hand, and pushes the finger piece 24 tothe left (as shown in Fig. 1) with thumb or finger, thus swinging the snufier 8 upwardly to expose the wick and projecting sparks on to the wick from wheel IS. A spring 25 normally urges lever 2| and finger-piece 24 to the right (as shown in Fig. 1) thus normally holding snuffer 9 sealed against seat 1, and restoring the snuffer 8 to closed position whenever manual pressure on finger-piece 24 is released, after a light has been obtained.

Thus portion of the side push type is obtained by means of actuating levers which, with the exception of the finger-piece 24 exposed at the side of supporting member 8, are housed within such supporting member. When it is desired toadjust pressure on the flint IS, the supporting memher 8 carrying the movable operating parts of the lighter mechanism is slid oi! the end of barrel 3,

thus affording access to the screw l8, without disturbing the fuel receptacle. supplied to chamber 4, it is merely necessary to unscrew the stud 2, and the flint tube l1, being located entirely above chamber lfdoes not interfere with access to the latter. Adjustment or replacement of the wick in tube may also be .re'adily' made by disassembling the parts 3 and] as above described, the entire construction presentinga minimumof protruding operating parts, and such partsjbeing nevertheless readily accessible. While the invention has been disclosed as carried out by a lighter construction of the specific form above described, it should be understood th'at'ohanges maybe made therein without dea parting from the inventioniri itsbroader aspects,

within. the scopeof the appended claims, 'Iclaim: l. A lighter construction of the class described including a hollow casing containing a fuel compartment, a hollowsupporting memberof substantially the same cross sectional area as said fuel compartment, said hollow supporting member detachably fittin'gthe upper portion of said casing and extending 'upwardly'above saidffuel "compartment, a wick tube carried by said casing and projecting upwardly from said fuel compa'rtment. through said hollow supporting .mem-

finger-engaging portion which is exposed at one side of said supporting member at the upper portion thereof, said snuiIer, sparking wheel and op-- erating member being constructedand arranged to cause inward pressure, upon said finger en- When' fuel'is to be' gaging portion to remove said snufler from the wick tube and rotate said sparking wheel, and a flint tube located beneath said sparking wheel, said flint tube being also carried by and detachable with said supporting member.

2. A lighter construction of the class described including a hollow casing containing a fuel comypartment, a hollow supporting member of substantially'the same cross sectional area as said ,fuel compartment, said hollow supporting mem- 'ber detachably fitting the upper portion of said v casing and extending upwardly above said fuel compartment, a wick tube carried by said casing 1, and projecting' upwardly from said fuel compartl5 ment through said hollow supporting member to the upper portion thereof, a snuffer movably mounted upon-the'upper portion of said supportan operating lever for said snufler and sparking wheel, said lever being carried by said hollow supporting member and pivoted near its lower end in the spaceabove said fuel compartment,

said lever having a finger engaging portion which is exposed at one side of said supporting member at the upper portion thereof.

'3. A'lighter constructionof the class described including a hollow casing containing a fuel compartinent, a hollow supporting member of substantially the same cross sectional area as said 'fuel compartment, said hollow suppoi ting memher detachably fitting the upper portion of said casing and extending upwardly above said fuel compartment, a wick tube carried by said casing and projecting upwardly from said fuel compartment through said hollow supporting member to the upper portion thereof, a snuffer movably mounted uponthe upper. portion of said supporting member'in position to engage the upper v end of said wick tube, a sparking wheel also carried by the upper portion of said supporting member and .an operatlngmember of the side-push type fon'said snuifer and sparking wheel, said operating member being'carried by said supporting member and mounted in the space above said fuel compartment, and being largely housed within said supporting member but having a fingerengagingportion which is exposed at one side of said supporting member at the upper portion thereof, said snuffer, sparking wheel and operating member being constructed and arrangedto cause inward pressure upon said finger engaging portion toremove said snufier from the wick tube'and rotate said sparking wheel, said hollow supporting member also having carried thereby and located therewithin a downwardly extending flint tube located in the space above said fuel compartment. i v

WALTER J. BURCHET'I'. 

